IBM $IBM announced it will open a delivery and innovation center at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on Chicago's South Side, creating 750 full-time jobs over the next five years. The FutureNow Chicago center will house positions in AI, cybersecurity, data science, and quantum computing. A joint statement from IBM and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on April 29 said the roles would span AI, cybersecurity, data science, and quantum computing.

IBM will serve as an anchor tenant in the park's Quantum Works building, which is funded by original Discovery Partners Institute appropriations to the University of Illinois System. The center is intended to help IBM clients and industry partners address business and technology challenges.

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As part of the announcement, IBM $IBM is also supporting a new apprenticeship program at City Colleges of Chicago, committing to hire one-third of qualified graduates. City Colleges plans to support 500 apprentices over five years, with backing from philanthropic partners including the Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance and the State of Illinois. IBM is separately partnering with Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and Chicago State University to offer internships.

The state has entered into an Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax-credit agreement with IBM $IBM, under which the company has committed to a substantial capital investment over the lease term and the creation of 750 jobs, according to Bloomberg. IBM will receive $19 million through that program, Bloomberg reported.

"IBM is pleased to partner with the Governor to further the state's technology and innovation ecosystem," IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement. "IBM's FutureNow Chicago delivery center will support new jobs, expand our Chicago delivery capability for IBM's clients, and together, we will build the future of technology talent and create sustained economic growth."

Built on the footprint of a shuttered U.S. Steel plant on Chicago's South Side, the quantum park held its groundbreaking last September, according to Bloomberg. PsiQuantum Corp., headquartered in Palo Alto, California, committed $1 billion to the project as its foundational investment, Bloomberg reported.

Late in 2024, a $25 million state grant helped fund the creation of the National Quantum Algorithm Center at IQMP, a project that brought together IBM, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and additional partners, according to Bloomberg. IBM's next-generation quantum computer, IBM Quantum System Two, will power that center.

The IQMP is projected to generate up to $20 billion in economic impact and create thousands of jobs, according to the governor's office.

IBM is opening a new AI and quantum computing hub

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